her less-than-effusive greeting, but she didn’t know how to answer him. Despite three hours trying to work out what she might say to him, how best to approach this, she still didn’t know how and in the end settled for the first thing that came into her head.
‘I’m not sure that you ought to be here.’
‘Sorry?’
‘I don’t think this is working, Jed.’
‘It would seem not.’
Of all the things he had been expecting tonight, this wasn’t one of them. Sideswiped, Jed walked through to the lounge and put the takeaway down on her coffee table, completely taken aback by the change in Jasmine. They’d made love that morning, he’d left her smiling and happy, with no hint of what was to come. ‘Can I ask what has changed between this morning and tonight?’
‘I just think things have moved too fast.’
‘And could you not have decided this before you introduced me to Simon?’ He didn’t get it and he knew she was lying when he saw her blush. ‘What’s going on, Jasmine?’
‘I heard something at work today,’ Jasmine admitted. ‘Something about you.’
‘So it’s gospel, then?’ was Jed’s sarcastic response. ‘And while you were listening to this gossip, did you not consider running it by me first, before deciding we that weren’t working?’
‘Of course I did,’ Jasmine attempted. ‘That’s what I’m doing now.’
‘Is it even worth asking?’ Jed said. ‘Because it sounds to me as if the jury is already in. So, what is it that I’m supposed to have done?’
‘I heard …’ Jasmine swallowed because it sounded so pathetic, especially with how good he had been with her secret last night, but still she had to find out for sure. ‘I heard that you and Penny …’
‘Penny?’
‘Someone told me that you and Penny …’ She couldn’t even bring herself to say it, but the implication was clear and Jed stood there and shook his head.
‘Jasmine, we agreed from the start that as erratic as things may be for us you and I wouldn’t see anybody else so, no, I’m not seeing Penny.’
‘But have you?’ Jasmine asked. ‘Have you dated Penny in the past?’
‘What on earth …?’ He just looked at her, looked at her as if he’d suddenly put glasses on and was seeing her for the first time and not particularly liking the view. ‘I’m being dumped because the hospital grapevine states that I might be or in the past might have slept with a colleague?’ He shook his head. ‘I never took you for the jealous kind, Jasmine.’
‘I just need to know.’
But Jed wasn’t about to explain himself. ‘Look, I don’t need this.’ He didn’t confirm it and he didn’t deny it and she honestly didn’t know what to do. She could feel tears pouring down her cheek.
‘Jed, please,’ she said. ‘Just tell me. I need to know if there’s ever been anything between you and Penny.’ She was starting to cry and she knew she had to tell him, no matter how awkward it made things for them, no matter the hurt to Penny, she just had to come right out and say it, and she was about to, except Jed didn’t give her a chance.
‘You want a complete itinerary of my past?’ Jed said. ‘What do you want, a full list of anyone I’ve ever dated so you can check them out online?’
‘Jed, please,’ Jasmine attempted, but he wasn’t listening to her now.
‘You’re the one with the past, Jasmine. You’re the one who’s just had her divorce certificate stamped and has a baby sleeping in the bedroom and an ex who stole from patients. Did I ask for a written statement, did I ask for facts and details?’ He turned to go and then changed his mind, but he didn’t walk back to her. He picked up his takeaway and took it. ‘I’m hungry all of a sudden.’
He headed out to his car and drove off, but only as far as the next street, and it was there that Jed pulled over and buried his head in his hands.
He couldn’t believe it.
Could not believe the change in her—the second they’d started to get serious, the moment he’d actually thought this might work, he’d been greeted with a list of questions and accusations and for Jed it all felt terribly familiar.
After all, he’d been through it before.
THE WEEK HAD been awful.
Jed was back to being aloof, not just with her but with everyone, and on the occasions they had to work together he said as little as he could to her.
And now, when she’d rather be anywhere else, she sat at her mother’s, eating Sunday lunch with Penny and wondering how on earth she could ever tell her and if it would simply be better if Penny never found out.
Which sounded to Jasmine an awful lot like lying.
‘You wanted to talk to me.’
‘I just wanted a chat,’ Jasmine said. ‘We haven’t caught up lately.’
‘Well, there’s not really much to catch up on,’ Penny said. ‘It’s just work, work, work.’
‘It’s your interview soon,’ Louise reminded her.
‘You haven’t mentioned it to anyone?’ Penny frowned at Jasmine. ‘I told you about that in confidence. I shouldn’t have said anything.’
‘I haven’t,’ Jasmine said, but her face burnt as she lied.
‘Well, I’ve heard that there are rumours going around, and if I find out that it’s you …’ Penny gave a tight shrug. ‘Sorry, that was uncalled for. I just hate how gossip spreads in that place.’
‘Are you going to the A and E ball?’ Jasmine tried to change the subject, attempting to find out what she simply had to know.
Not that it would change anything between her and Jed.
Not just because of the possibility that he and Penny had once been an item, more the way he had been when they’d had a row. He hadn’t given her a chance to explain, had just thrown everything she had confided to him back in her face and then walked out.
She didn’t need someone like that in her life and certainly not in Simon’s—still, she did want to know if the rumours were true, which was why she pushed on with Penny, dancing around the subject of the A and E ball in the hope it might lead to something more revealing.
‘I’ve been asked to put in an appearance,’ Penny said, helping herself to another piece of lamb. ‘Why?’ she asked. ‘Are you thinking of going?’
‘Not at that price,’ Jasmine said. ‘I just wondered if you were, that’s all.’
‘I have to, really. Jed and I will probably take it in turns—someone has to hold the fort and all the consultants will want to be there.’
‘Jed?’ Louise asked.
‘The other senior reg,’ Penny explained.
‘The one who’s going for the same position?’ Louise checked, and Penny gave a curt nod.
‘You and Jed …’ The lovely moist lamb was like burnt toast in Jasmine’s mouth and she swallowed it down with a long drink of water. ‘Are you two …?’ Her voice trailed off as Penny frowned.
‘What?’
She should just ask her really, Jasmine reasoned. It was her sister after all—any normal sisters would have this conversation.
Except